TL;DR
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 might be launched earlier than its predecessor.
- The first phone with the new SoC will be Xiaomi 16 & Xiaomi 16 Pro.
- To recall, Snapdragon 8 Elite was announced in October 2024.
Leading chipmaker Qualcomm has been working on launching the 2nd generation Elite SoC that will offer faster and more efficient performance than its predecessor. Latest reports claim that while Snapdragon 8 Elite was announced in October 2024, this time around Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC might be launched quite earlier in the year. Also, some details about the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 have been revealed.
ALSO SEE: vivo X200 Ultra With Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset And 200mm Add-On Zeiss Lens Launched
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2: Launch Timeline
According to a reliable tipster, Digital Chat Station, the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 might be announced in late September 2025. If this happens, it would mean a month early launch as compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The tipster also claims that the first devices with the SoC will debut in October 2025. It seems believable as OEMs start announcing their devices with the latest chipset as soon as the SoC gets announced in China.
The early arrival of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will allow brands to compete against Apple’s iPhone 17 series, which are expected to debut in September/October 2025.
ALSO SEE: OnePlus 13s Confirmed To Launch In India With Snapdragon 8 Elite Chip: Check Details Here
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2: Features
Rumors claim that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be based on TSMC’s 3nm process node. In comparison to its predecessor, the upcoming chipset is tipped to offer 30% and 25% increase in GPU and CPU performance respectively. The SoC will also feature Adreno 840 GPU clocked at 1.35GHz and have a base frequency of 4.4GHz and come with second-generation Oryon CPU cores.
According to a Weibo post, AnTuTu benchmark scores for the chipset are said to be over 3.8 million points.
ALSO SEE: OnePlus 13T Confirmed for April Launch: Compact Flagship with Snapdragon 8 Elite
Smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC
In 2025, Xiaomi 16, Xiaomi 16 Pro, OnePlus 14, and iQOO 14 are expected to be the first few phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite: Launch Recap
Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8 Elite, world’s fastest chipset during the Snapdragon Summit on 22nd October, 2024. It was also referred to as Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and introduced 2nd-gen Oryon CPU cores for a 45% performance boost over predecessor. The chipset was made on TSMC’s 3nm process and featured a 2+6 octa-core architecture. It was also equipped with AI features and ray tracing.
ALSO SEE: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs. 8s Gen 3: How Do The Premium Mid-Range Processors Compare?
One day after the chipset was announced, Xiaomi launched Xiaomi 15 & Xiaomi 15 Pro on 23rd October. These were the first to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. OnePlus 13 was also launched in the same month on 31st October.
After these three, Realme GT 7 Pro was announced in November along with REDMAGIC 10 Pro on 13th November. Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 lineup on 22nd January 2025. Brands like Motorola, ASUS, Honor, Vivo and more have also launched phones with Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
The same kind of widespread adoption is expected to continue with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC.
You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest tech and auto news, reviews, and guides.
